Out of Time
by Lady Eivel
Summary: A Lord Of The Rings crossover. Galadriel sends Scarlet, Blue and Rhapsody to Middle Earth to help in the war against Sauron, but what will their roles be? And will they ever find each other?
1. Prologue

Out of Time

Introduction

The elf lady drifted through Lothlorien, barefoot and lighter than any leaf. The sleeves on her flowing white dress billowed out behind her as she moved, arms slightly back in a graceful arc. She stepped down the short flight of stairs without a sound and crossed over the mossy ground to a bubbling pool, fed by a tiny waterfall. She lifted a silver pitcher which stood nearby and filled it from the pool. She turned and walked towards a basin, with intricate wooden carvings on the outside and a silver bowl within. She poured the contents of the pitcher into the water and putting the vessel aside, gazed into the pool, which reflected the starry sky overhead.

The image changed, the water rippling slightly as the elf lady observed the change. There was a room. Inside the room lounged two men and a young woman. The woman was young and fair, with waves of copper hair falling down her back. She sat beside a man a little older than her, resting her head on his red-clad shoulder. The man held her hand loosely as he talked with the others. He had jet-black hair and piercing blue eyes, which reminded the elf of a certain hobbit who had passed her way during the last few months. Like him, his eyes had seen far too much and like him, that man carried a burden few others could comprehend. She shook her head sadly. His burden should never have been laid upon him, he deserved a better lot than he had been given.

Sighing softly, she observed the other, who was laughing loudly at some comment his friend had made. He wore an outfit similar to his- black trousers and a black jumper under a short tunic, only this man's tunic was blue, while his friend's had been red. The blue-clad man had fair hair and eyes to match his uniform. He too had seen things few others dreamt of in their nightmares, and although it was not the same burden his friend carried, the shadow of an unwillingly received, but well-performed duty lingered in his eyes. Galadriel allowed a slight frown to tug at the corners of her mouth. There were too many who knew the same feeling in Middle Earth, but at last she had found the men to help her world. The woman, too, would come- she would have a task to perform also. With a wave of her hand and a few drops of a potion known only to her in the water, Galadriel called their names in turn.

"Dianne, you must go to the land of horse lords- for there are too few in this world who realise what can be accomplished by women such as yourself. Their eyes need to be opened. Adam- Gondor has need of a man with your strength. And Paul, you will help another not so dissimilar to yourself achieve his own destiny…"


	2. Chapter 1

Out of Time

Part 1

Wherever he was, it was definitely not Cloudbase. The horrendous stink told him as much- Cloudbase was always pristine, there was nothing on board that would cause a smell like that. Paul opened his eyes. He was lying on the side of a mountain. The sky above was relatively clear, but not very far off, it was dark and brooding, with jet-black clouds swirling ominously beyond a group of mountains that lay a distance from the one he was currently on, with occasional flashes of lightning streaking across the sky. It was odd- the clouds over there seemed to be coloured a deep blood red as well as the jet black that was the norm among the ones around them. It looked like some kind of volcanic eruption, although he couldn't be sure.

Paul stood up. Enough of the geography- he needed to get to grips with his own predicament first. One moment he'd been relaxing in the Officer's lounge with Dianne and Adam, then a blinding flash of light had engulfed the room and he had lost consciousness. Now he was here, wherever here was, with seemingly no means of return, or even contact he realised, as his cap was missing. In fact, he was wearing an entirely different outfit to his uniform now…

Dark brown trousers shielded his legs from the biting winds howling round the mountain, while a loose woollen tunic of a paler colour and a black waistcoat-type garment did the same for his upper half. The whole thing was topped off by a leather belt, with a dagger in its sheath, and a greenish-grey cloak fastened with an odd leaf-shaped brooch. He only had a little time to process this information when he heard a hiss from behind. He turned to see an odd creature looking at him- the size of a child, stooped and half-crawling, half-jumping as it moved. Its skin had an odd grey pallor and its eyes bore into him with a strange intensity before the thing darted backwards over a ridge. Paul felt it would be better to follow than to shout out, so he scrambled over to the ridge.

He found himself staring at two small creatures- looking like people, but child-size. Their feet were covered in hair, or at least what he could see of them were. The creature crouched next to them, hissing and pawing at the cloak of one of them. This one had black hair, while the other was blonde. Both were dressed in cloaks similar to his own and as he watched, the blonde one raised his head to look at him

"Hey- who are you?" He demanded. Paul had no time to duck as the other raised his head. Brilliant blue eyes bore into his own and Paul felt strangely as though they saw right through him, that their owner knew and could sympathise with what he had been through, and as he returned their gaze, he saw the pain in the eyes. The blonde began ranting at him, shaking a cooking pot in what he probably thought was a threatening manner, but Paul paid no attention until the black-haired person blinked. The moment of mutual understanding was lost and they both shook their heads slightly, as though to clear them. The person stared at him again and Paul felt he could trust him even before he spoke.

"Who are you? And why are you here?" His voice was quiet and sounded almost sad.

"That's what I asked!" The blonde exclaimed. Paul smiled slightly, not bothering to point out he'd only asked for his name, as he responded.

"My name is Paul. As to why I am here, I don't really know. To tell the truth, I don't even know what this place is." The other three stared at him as if he were mad.

"You mean, you don't have a clue where you are? You're practically on the borders of the most foul, evil place in Middle Earth, and you're telling me you don't know what it's called?" The blonde looked fit to burst.

"Hush, Sam. He's telling the truth." His companion rebuked him, his voice remaining as soft as before.

"How do you know, Mr. Frodo? He turns up near the black land and you're all ready to trust him like you've known him all your life!"

"I don't know, I simply feel that he is someone we can turn to. And haven't you noticed his cloak? It's from Galadriel- don't you recognise the brooch?"

"But…"

"Don't worry. I can see why you don't trust me." Paul cut in. "And I imagine I'd be the same, were our positions reversed. I'm just trying to find out where I am, because as far as I know, I shouldn't be here. There's somewhere I need to get back to and I can't start until I know where I am now." He wasn't about to mention it was Cloudbase. His gut feeling told him he could trust Frodo and Sam, but he definitely wasn't so sure about the other… thing.

0-0-0

The soldiers on guard held the door open as their comrades led Dianne through. She looked around the hall, still feeling faintly groggy after having been woken from unconsciousness in a dingy alleyway, with no recollection of how she got there. All she remembered was one moment being in the Officer's lounge, then a blinding light, then the alley and the soldiers, who had told her they knew nothing about either Paul or Adam, who had been caught up in that light with her.

She looked around. They were in a large hall which looked, like everything else, distinctly medieval. It was made of wood, with pillars holding up the arched roof. Depictions of horses were everywhere- in the pillars, on tapestries hung on the walls, even on the benches tucked away in the shadows to the sides. Ahead of her was a raised platform, with steps leading up to an elaborately carved throne. On the throne sat the most ancient man Dianne had ever seen. A wispy beard, totally white, curled down to his waist and ended in an untidy heap on the pale, moth-eaten garments that the man- she guessed he was the leader of these people- was wearing. A circlet of brass managed to keep its place on his head amidst the untidy tangle of his hair, but even that showed signs of neglect and decay.

Dianne was led to the foot of the stairs, where she was told to wait as a soldier stepped in front of her.

"O King Theoden, we found this woman in the streets. She is a stranger here, and we suspect her of being an ally of the enemy…" he was interrupted as a hunched man dressed in black shuffled out from behind the throne.

"What enemy is there to speak of? Only the ill-favoured would accuse Saruman, and Mordor is far to the South. But my lord," he turned to Theoden "We can never be too careful. I suggest she is placed in a cell until we can be sure of where she stands." Theoden mumbled something incoherent and the man next to him smiled. He turned to the soldiers around Rhapsody, who watched him with growing uneasiness. He looked like the typical 'bad guy' from a film: all greasy hair, black clothes and unnaturally pallid face. Three things that fitted another 'bad guy' she didn't like to think of…

"Your King has spoken. Take her to the cells and keep her there. Let none see her until we have determined who she is." The soldier seemed reluctant, but nodded to his men. As they led Rhapsody away, she saw the drawn, worried face of a woman peering round a pillar at her. Before she could say anything however, she was out the door and on her way down the stone steps outside.

0-0-0

Adam was surrounded by a forest. Moonlight fell through the leaves of the immense trees around him, giving them an almost silver colour. A woman stood a short distance away from him, her back turned. The light played over her long blonde curls and he distantly wondered how Symphony would look with long hair. There was a chuckle from ahead and the woman turned to face him. She was tall and slender, dressed in a silvery-white gown that trailed behind her. Her face was neither young nor old, as was her voice when she spoke, soft and low.

'_Fear not Mithrandir, nor those who travel with him. They will help you find your friends, but it will take time. Wake now Adam, and you will help their destiny unfold.'_

Then she waved her hand and the dream faded into nothing.

He opened his eyes. It was dark. He was lying near the edge of a forest, but this forest was darker than the one from his dream, and had a distinctly gloomy air. He could hear hushed voices nearby and, after a moment of shock at what he was wearing (which, though he did not know it, was similar to Paul's outfit), he unsheathed the dagger and followed the noise to a small campfire. Two figures slept at opposite sides of it, one looking vaguely like the woman in his dream, but male and wearing a green tunic, trousers and boots. The other was short and stocky, with long ginger hair and a waist-length beard. Beyond the firelight, Adam could make out two figures talking in hushed voices. One- an old man dressed in a long robe- turned to face him.

"Ah, Adam. I was wondering when you would arrive." Blue was stunned into silence for a moment before replying.

"How do you know my name?" The old man's companion stepped into the light. He looked vaguely like Paul, but with a slight beard and longer hair. His outfit was similar to the one Adam was wearing.

"He is the one of which you spoke?" he asked, turning to face the old man as he, too, stepped into the firelight, in which Adam could see that his robe was white.

"Yes, the one Galadriel sent to aid us." He smiled at Adam. "I am Mithrandir, you have no reason to be afraid."

"Would this Galadriel have long hair? And live in a forest?" Adam asked, slightly cautious.

"Of course." Adam nodded slightly, still wary. For all he knew, the whole thing could be a Mysteron trap, and he had no intention of falling for one of those.

0-0-0


End file.
